THE PRESIDENTS

Presidents

#1: George WashingtonServed: 1789-1797, Federalist Period

Achievements: Held country together. Ended multiple revolutions.

Rank: 1st/42

V.P.: John Adams

Nicknames: The American CincinnatusThe American Fabius The Father of His Country

1. Born: Feb. 22, 1732 in Virginia2. Died: Dec. 14, 1799 (aged 67)

in Virginia3. Religion: Church of England4. 6 feet, 2inches tall and weighed

200 pounds5. At the time of his inauguration,

George Washington had only one tooth. All his teeth were pulled by the time he was the President. At many times he wore dentures. His inauguration speech was 183 words long. Due to his false teeth he took 90 minutes to read it.

Background Info on Washington

Gilbert Stuart Portrait of George Washington in 1795,

4 years before his death.

#2: John Adams (Fed)Served: 1797-1801, Federalist

Period

Achievements: Signer of Declaration of Independence. Oversaw construction of White House

Rank: 7th / 42

V.P.: Thomas JeffersonNickname:

The Colossus of DebateThe Duke of BraintreeKing John the SecondOld Sink or SwimHis Rotundity

Presidents

Background Info on Adams

1. Born: Oct. 30, 1735 in Quincy, Massachusetts

2. Died: July 4, 1826 (aged 90) in Quincy

3. Religion: Unitarian4. Great-great-grandson of

John and Priscilla Alden, pilgrims who landed at Plymouth Rock in 1620

5. U.S. capital moved from Philadelphia to Washington, D.C.

Portrait of John Adams by Gilbert Stuart in 1826. This would be John Adam's final

portrait. He was reluctant to do the painting but did so at the urge of John Quincy Adams. He said he enjoyed the conversation that artist Gilbert Stuart

provided him

#3: Thomas Jefferson (DR)

Served: 1801-1809, The Age of Jefferson

Achievements: Author of Declaration of Independence. Louisiana Purchase. Lewis and Clark Expedition.

Rank: 3rd / 42

V.P.: Aaron Burr (1801–1805), George Clinton (1805–1809)

Nicknames: The Apostle of DemocracyThe Man of the People Mad TomThe Negro PresidentThe Sage of Monticello

Presidents

Background Info on Jefferson

1. Born: April 13,1743 in Shadwell, Virginia

2. Died: July 4, 1826 (aged 83) in Charlottesville, Virginia

3. Religion: Deist4. Died on 50th anniversary of

D.o.I., July 4, 1826 the same day as John Adams

5. Designed his own tombstone and wrote his own epitaph, omitting the fact that he was President of the United States

Gilbert Stuart’s 1821 portrait of Thomas Jefferson

More on Jefferson

Secret affair with his slave, Sally Hemings

Credited with introducing vanilla ice cream and macaroni and cheese to US diet

Tasked Lewis and Clark with finding Wholly Mammoth in the west

Petrified of public speaking, gave only two speeches as president

#4: James Madison (DR)

Served: 1809-1817

Achievements: “Father of Constitution”, War of 1812.

Rank: 8th / 42

V.P.: George Clinton Elbridge Gerry

Nicknames:Little JemmyHis Little Majesty: At only 5' 4", the was the shortest president ever.

Presidents

Background Info on Madison

1. Born: March 16, 1751Port Conway, Virginia

2. Died: June 28, 1836 (aged 85) Montpelier, Virginia

3. Religion: “unknown”4. First president to had

prior service as a congressman.

5. First president to wear trousers rather than knee breeches.

6. First graduate student of Princeton

#5: James Monroe (DR)

Served: 1817-1825, Era of Good Feelings

Achievements: Annexed Florida, Signed Missouri Compromise, Created Monroe Doctrine.

Rank: 21st / 42

V.P.: Daniel D. Tompkins

Nickname:

The Era of Good Feelings President

Presidents

Background Info on Monroe

1. Born: April 28, 1758Westmoreland County, VA

2. Died: July 4, 1831 (aged 73) New York, NY

3. Religion: Episcopal4. First president to ride on

a steamboat. 5. First U.S. Senator to

become president. 6. First inaugural to be held

outdoors.7. Capital of Liberia named

after him (Monrovia)

#6: John Q. Adams (DR)Served: 1825-1829, Era of Good Feelings

Achievements: 18 year Member of Congress, Nic-named “Old Eloquent”, Defended Amistad rebels

Rank: 14th / 42

V.P.: John C. Calhoun

Nicknames:

Old Man Eloquent

The Abolitionist

Presidents

Background Info on J.Q. Adams

1. Born: July 11, 1767 Quincy, Massachusetts

2. Died: February 23, 1848 (aged 80) Washington, D.C.

3. Religion: Unitarianism

4. Adams swam nude in the Potomac River nearly every day.

5. First elected president not to receive either the most electoral college votes or popular votes.

6. Only president elected to the House after his presidency.

7. He named one of his sons George Washington.

8. approved an expedition to the interior of the Earth where, he hoped, the surface dwellers could initiate trade with the mole people

#7: Andrew Jackson (Dem)Served: 1829-1837, The Age of Jackson

Achievements: “Old Hickory”, Founder of Democratic Party, Extend power of Federal Branch. Indian Removal Act

Rank: 12th / 42

VP: Martin Van Buren

Nicknames:

The Hero of New OrleansKing AndrewOld HickorySharp Knife (Given to him by the Creek Indians whom he fought in 1814 )

Presidents

Background Info on Jackson

1. Born: March 15, 1767 Waxhaws Area

2. Died: June 8, 1845 (aged 78)Nashville, Tennessee

3. Religion: Presbyterian4. No formal education.5. Taught parrot to curse, which had

to be removed from Jackson's funeral because it wouldn't stop swearing.

6. Only president to have been a prisoner of war.

7. He was the first president to have been born in a log cabin.

8. First president to ride a railroad train.

9. Wounded in a duel at the age of 39, Jackson carried the bullet, lodged near his heart, to his grave.

#8 Martin Van Buren (Dem)

Served: 1837-1841, Westward ExpansionAchievements: Helped form first

“political machine”, Ran for office 3 times.

Rank: 38th / 42V.P.: Richard M. Johnson

Nicknames:

The American Talleyrand

The Careful Dutchman (his first language was Dutch)

The Great Manager

The Little Magician

The Red Fox of Kinderhook

Presidents

Background Info Van Buren

1. Born: December 5, 1782Kinderhook, New York

2. Died: July 24, 1862 (aged 79)Kinderhook, New York

3. Religion: Dutch Reformed4. First president born in

the United States5. He took his four years

salary, $100,000, in a lump sum at the end of his term.

6. He made three unsuccessful bids for reelection.

#9 William H. Harrison (Whig)Served: 1841, Westward Expansion

(Manifest Destiny)

Achievements: President for one month!,

First president to die in office.

Rank: 39th / 42

V.P.: John Tyler

Nicknames:

General Mum

Old Tippecanoe: (used in campaign

song Tippecanoe and Tyler Too during 1840

election.)

Washington of the West

Presidents

Background Info on Harrison

1. Born: February 9, 1773Charles City County, Virginia

2. Died: April 4, 1841 (aged 68)Washington, D.C.

3. Religion: Episcopal4. Harrison gave the longest

inaugural address - one hour 45 minutes.

5. First president to die in office.

6. Served for 30 days.

#10 John Tyler (Whig)Served: 1841-1845, Westward

Expansion

Achievements: Served without a Party. First VP to take office. Severs ties with Whigs, Set up trade relations with China.

Rank: 42nd / 42

V.P.: None

Nickname:

His Accidency

Presidents

Background Info on Tyler

1. Born: March 29, 1790 Charles City County, Virginia

2. Died: January 18, 1862 (aged 71)Richmond, Virginia

3. Religion: Episcopal4. Whig party disowned him

after he vetoed banking bills supported by the Whigs.

5. In January 1843, the Whigs introduced impeachment resolutions in the House, but the measures were defeated.

6. He was a grand-uncle of Harry S Truman.

7. Aspired to be a concert violinist.

#11: James Polk (Dem)Served: 1845-1849, War of the West

Achievements: War with Mexico. Gained California and Southwest. Settled Canadian border

Rank: 36th / 42

V.P: George M. Dallas

Nicknames:

Napoleon of the Stump

Polk the Plodder

Young Hickory

Polk the Purposeful

Presidents

Background Info on Polk

1. Born: November 2, 1795Pineville, North Carolina

2. Died: June 15, 1849 (aged 53)Nashville, Tennessee

3. Religion: Methodist4. Before the advent of

anesthetics and antiseptic practices, Polk survived a gallstone operation at age 17.

5. Greatly expanded the western U.S. in 1848 through a treaty with Mexico ending a two year war

6. Voluntarily served only one term

#12: Zachary Taylor (Whig)Served: 1849-1850, Westward Expansion

Achievements: “Old Rough and Ready”, Never voted until own election, Died 16 months after election.

Rank: 37th / 42

V.P.: Millard Fillmore

Nickname:

Old Rough and Ready

Presidents

Background Info on Taylor

1. Born: November 24, 1784 Barboursville, Virginia

2. Died: July 9, 1850 (aged 65)Washington, D.C.

3. Religion: Episcopal4. Had never voted or

belonged to a political party nor took any interest in politics until he ran for president at age 62.

5. He pastured his old Army horse, Whitey, on the White House lawn and visitors would take horse hairs as souvenirs.

#13 Millard Fillmore (Whig)Served: 1850-1853, Antebellum

Achievements: Opened trade with Japan. Great Compromise of 1850. Last Whig President

Quote: "An honorable defeat is better than a dishonorable victory."

Rank: 41st / 42

Nickname:The American Louis Philippe

Presidents

Background Info on Fillmore

1. Born: January 7, 1800Summerhill, New York

2. Died: March 8, 1874 (aged 74) Buffalo, NY

3. Religion: Unitarian4. No formal education. 5. Fillmore did not meet Pres. Taylor

until after they were elected. 6. He installed the first bathtub and

kitchen stove in the White House.7. Millard Fillmore's first wife

Abigail was actually his teacher while he was a 19-year-old student at the New Hope Academy

#14 Franklin Pierce (D)Served: 1853-1857, Antebellum

Achievements: Gadsden Purchase. Passed Kansas-Nebraska Act

Quote: "You have summoned me in my weakness. You must sustain me by your strength."

Rank: 40th / 42

Nickname:

The Fainting General

Young Hickory of the Granite Hills

Handsome Frank

Presidents

Background Info on Pierce

1. Born: November 23, 1804 Hillsborough, New Hampshire

2. Died: October 8, 1869 (aged 64) Concord, New Hampshire

3. Religion: Episcopal

4. Because of religious considerations Pierce affirmed rather than swore the Presidential Oath of Office.

5. He gave his inaugural address from memory, without the aid of notes.

6. He installed the first central heating system in the White House.

#15 James Buchanan (D)Served: 1857-1861, Antebellum

Achievements: 40 yr Congressman, Dems split into North and South, considered one of worse presidents

Quote:” The test of leadership is not to put greatness into humanity, but to elicit it, for the greatness is already there.”

Rank: 35th / 42

Nickname:

Ten-Cent Jimmie (claimed during the 1856 election campaign that ten cents a day was enough for a working man to live on)

Presidents

Background Info on Buchanan

1. Born: April 23, 1791 Mercersburg, Pennsylvania

2. Died: June 1, 1868 (aged 77)Lancaster, Pennsylvania

3. Religion: Presbyterian4. He was never married, so the

duties of White House hostess were performed by his niece, Harriet Lane.

5. One of his eyes was nearsighted and the other farsighted. As a result he always cocked his head to the left.

6. Buchanan tired of being president and refused to run for reelection.

#16 Abraham LincolnServed: 1861-1865, American Civil WarAchievements: Endured Civil War.

Emancipation Proclamation.Quote: “Always bear in mind that your

own resolution to succeed is more important than any other.”

“America will never be destroyed from the outside. If we falter and lose our freedoms, it will be because we destroyed ourselves.”

Rank: 2nd / 42Nicknames:

The Ancient One

The Great Emancipator

Honest Abe

The Rail-Splitter

Uncle Abe

Presidents

Background Info on Lincoln

1. Born: February 12, 1809Hardin County, Kentucky

2. Died: April 15, 1865 (aged 56)Washington, D.C.

3. Religion: Never committed to one

4. No formal education.

5. The first president to die by assassination.

6. At 6 feet 4 inches he was the tallest president.

7. Lincoln's wife, Mary Todd, had a brother, half-brothers and brothers-in-law who fought in the Confederate Army.

8. He was the first president to wear a beard.

9. His son Robert Todd Lincoln, was in Washington, D.C. when Lincoln was killed, was also on the scene when President Garfield was shot in 1881, and President McKinley was assassinated in 1901

10. When Abe Lincoln moved to New Salem, Illinois in 1831, he ran into a local bully named Jack Armstrong. Armstrong challenged Lincoln to a wrestling match outside of Denton Offutt's store, where Lincoln was a clerk, and townspeople gathered to watch and wager on it. Lincoln won.

# 17: Andrew Johnson (Dem)

Served: 1865-1869, Reconstruction

Achievements: Reconstruction Era. Impeached.

Quote: “If I am shot at, I want no man to be in the way of the bullet.”

Rank: 24th / 42

Nickname:The Tennessee Tailor

Presidents

Background Info on Johnson

1. Born: December 29, 1808Raleigh, North Carolina

2. Died: July 31, 1875 (aged 66)Elizabethton, Tennessee

3. Religion: Christian: No denomination4. Johnson was married at a younger

age than any other president. He was 18 on May 5, 1827 and Eliza McCardle was 16.

5. He is the only president to serve in the Senate after his presidency.

6. He was host to the first Queen to first the White house. Queen Emma of Hawaii.

7. He was buried beneath a willow tree he planted himself with a shoot taken from a tree at Napoleon's tomb

#18 (R)Ulysses S. Grant

Served: 1869-1877, Reconstruction

Achievements: War Hero.

Quote: “Leave the matter of religion to the family altar, the church, and the private school, supported entirely by private contributions. Keep the church and state forever separate.”

Rank: 15th / 42

Nicknames:

Sam

Unconditional Surrender Grant

Presidents

Background Info on Grant

1. Born: April 27, 1822Point Pleasant, Ohio

2. Died: July 23, 1885 (aged 63)Mount McGregor, New York

3. Religion: Methodist4. Grant could not stomach the

sight of animal blood. Rare steak nauseated him.

5. While president, he was arrested for driving his horse too fast and was fined $ 20.

6. Grant said he knew only two songs. "One was Yankee Doodle and the other wasn't."

7. He smoked 20 cigars a day, which probably caused the throat cancer that resulted in his death.

#19 (R)Rutherford B. HayesServed: 1877-1881, Gilded Age

Achievements: Ended Reconstruction.

Quote: “One of the tests of the civilization of people is the treatment of its criminals.”

Rank: 31st / 42

Nicknames:

Granny Hayes

Queen Victoria in Riding Breeches

President De Facto, His Fraudulency, Rutherfraud Hayes, Boss Thief, The Great Usurper

Presidents

Background Info on Hayes

1. Born: October 4, 1822Delaware, Ohio

2. Died: January 17, 1893 (aged 70)Fremont, Ohio

3. Religion: Christian, no denomination

4. In 1880 Hayes arrived in San Francisco to become the first president to visit the West Coast.

5. Mrs. Hayes, Lucy Ware Webb, was known as "Lemonade Lucy" because she refused to serve alcohol in the White House.

6. The first telephone was installed in the White House by Alexander Graham Bell himself.

7. The first Easter egg roll on the White House lawn was conducted by Hayes and his wife.

8. He kept his campaign pledge and refused to run for a second term

#20 (R)James Garfield Served: 1881, Gilded Age

Achievements: Assassinated in office

Quote: “The President is the last person in the world to know what the people really want and think.”

Rank: 26th / 42

Nickname:

Boatman Jim

Presidents

Background Info on Garfield

1. Born: November 19, 1831Moreland Hills, Ohio

2. Died: September 19, 1881 (aged 49)Elberon (Long Branch), New Jersey

3. Religion: Church of Christ4. Only 131 days after taking office,

on July 12, 1881, while entering a Washington, D.C. railroad station, he was shot by Charles J. Guiteau

5. Garfield was the first left-handed president.

6. He was the last of seven presidents born in a log cabin.

7. After Garfield's shooting, repeated probing for the bullet with non-sterile instruments resulted in blood poisoning which eventually killed him on September 19, 1881.

#21 (R)Chester A. ArthurServed: 1881-1885, Gilded Age

Achievements: Modernized the Navy

Quote: “Men may die, but the fabric of our free institutions remains unshaken.”

Rank: 25th / 42

Nicknames:

Gentleman Boss

Prince Arthur

The Dude President (For his fancy living)

Walrus

Presidents

Background Info on Arthur

1. Born: October 5, 1829Fairfield, Vermont

2. Died: November 18, 1886 (aged 57)New York, NY

3. Arthur enjoyed walking at night and seldom went to bed before 2 A.M.

4. He had 24 wagon loads of old furniture and junk removed from the White House before moving in.

5. A man-about-town, he entertained lavishly and often, enjoyed going to nightclubs.

6. Arthur told a temperance group that called on him at the White House, "I may be President of the United States, but my private life is my own damn business." Arthur destroyed all of his personal papers before his death.

#22 & 24: (D)Grover Cleveland

Served: 1885-1889 & 1893-1897, Gilded Age

Achievements: Reformed Federal Government.

Quote: “The lesson should be constantly enforced

that though the people support the Government,

Government should not support the people.”

Rank: 29th / 42

Nickname:

The Beast of Buffalo

The Hangman of Buffalo

His Obstinacy

The Elephantine Economist

Uncle Jumbo

Presidents

Background Info on Cleveland

1. Born: March 18, 1837Caldwell, New Jersey

2. Died: June 24, 1908 (aged 71)Princeton, New Jersey

3. Religion: Presbyterian

4. Dedicated the Statue of Liberty on October 28, 1886.

5. Cleveland is the only president to serve two non-consecutive terms.

6. While Sheriff of Erie County, New York, Cleveland was the public executioner and personally hanged two murderers.

7. He vetoed 414 bill in his first term, more that double the 204 vetoes cast by all previous presidents.

8. The only president's child born in the White House, was Cleveland's daughter, Esther

9. When Grover Cleveland's law partner Oscar Folsom died, Cleveland became the girl's legal guardian. Frances Folsom was 11 years old at the time. Oddly enough, ten years later, they got married at the White House. She remains the youngest First Lady in the history of the United States, having been just 21 when they married.

# 23 (R) Benjamin HarrisonServed: 1889-1893, Gilded Age

Achievements: Strong Foreign Policy. Enlarged Navy.

Quote: “We Americans have no commission from God to police the world.”

Rank: 33 / 42

Nicknames:

The Front Porch Campaigner

The Human Iceberg

Kid Gloves Harrison (He was prone to skin infection and often wore kid gloves to protect his hands)

Presidents

Background Info on Harrison

1. Born: August 20, 1833North Bend, Ohio

2. Died: March 13, 1901 (aged 67)Indianapolis, Indiana

3. Religion: Presbyterian4. He was the second president whose

wife died while he was in office. 5. When the Harrisons moved into the

White House, it was in such a dilapidated state that plans were made to build a new mansion elsewhere in Washington.

6. His last daughter, Elizabeth, was younger than his four grandchildren.

7. Credited with installing electricity into the White House. Him and his wife refused to use light switches, fearing death from electrocution

#25 (R)William McKinleyServed: 1897-1901, Imperialism

Achievements: Spanish American War. Acquired Guam, Philippines, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico.

Quote: “The free man cannot be long an ignorant man.”

Rank: 27th / 42 Nicknames:

The MajorThe Napoleon of ProtectionThe Advance Agent of

ProsperityThe Idol of Ohio

Presidents

Background Info on McKinley

1. Born: January 29, 1843Niles, Ohio

2. Died: September 14, 1901 (aged 58)Buffalo, New York

3. Religion: Methodist4. He was the first

president to use the telephone while campaigning

5. He is thought to hold the record for presidential handshaking - 2,500 per hour.

#26 (R) Theodore Roosevelt

Served: 1901-1909, Progressivism

Achievements: Fought Monopolies. Pushed Panama Canal. Established National Parks and Forests.

Quote: “The government is us; we are the government, you and I.”

Rank: 4th / 42

Nicknames:

The Cyclone Assemblyman

The Hero of San Juan Hill

The Lion

Old Four Eyes

Theodore the Meddler

The Trust Buster

Presidents

Background Info on Roosevelt

1. Born: October 27, 1858New York, New York

2. Died: January 6, 1919 (aged 60)Oyster Bay, New York

3. Religion: Dutch Reformed

4. He lost the sight in one eye while boxing in the White House.

5. He had a photographic memory. He could read a page in the time it took anyone else to read a sentence.

6. He was the first president to travel outside the U.S. - Panama.

#27 (R) William H. TaftServed: 1909 – 1913, Progressivism

Achievements: Fought Trusts. Conservationist.

Quote: “Politics makes me sick.”

Rank: 18th / 42

Nicknames:

Big Chief

Old Bill

Big Lub

Presidents

Background Info on Taft

1. Born: September 15, 1857Cincinnati, Ohio

2. Died: March 8, 1930 (aged 72) Washington, D.C.

3. Religion: Unitarian4. Taft is the only person to

serve as both President and Chief Justice (1921-1930) of the U.S.

5. He inaugurated the custom of the president throwing out the first ball to start the baseball season.

6. The Taft's owned the last presidential cow and the first White House automobile.

#28 (D) Woodrow WilsonServed: 1913 – 1921, Progressivism

Achievements: Reformed Banking Laws. World War I. League of Nations.

Quote: “A conservative is someone who makes no changes and consults his grandmother when in doubt.”

“I would rather belong to a poor nation that was free than to a rich nation that had ceased to be in love with liberty.”

Rank: 19th / 42

Nicknames:

The Phrase-Maker

The Schoolmaster in Politics

Presidents

Background Info on Wilson

1. Born: December 28, 1856Staunton, Virginia

2. Died: February 3, 1924 (aged 67) Washington, D.C.

3. Religion: Presbyterian4. Wilson is the only president

to earn a Ph.D. degree. 5. His second wife, Edith, was

a great-granddaughter of Pocahontas, seven times removed.

6. An avid golfer, Wilson used black golf balls when playing in the snow.

#29 (R) Warren Harding

Served: 1921-1923 The Roaring 20’s

Achievements: Allowed friends control country

Quote: “I don't know much about Americanism, but it's a damn good word with which to carry an election.”

Rank: 34th / 42

Nickname: Wobbly Warren

Presidents

Background Info on Harding

1. Born: November 2, 1865near Blooming Grove, Ohio

2. Died: August 2, 1923 (aged 57) San Francisco, California

3. Religion: Baptist4. He was the first newspaper

publisher to be elected president. 5. Both of Harding's parents were

doctors. 6. He was the first president to own a

radio. 7. While president, Harding played

golf, poker twice a week, followed baseball and boxing, and sneaked off to burlesque shows

8. Harding really like to gamble, although it seems he wasn't very good at it. In one poker game, he bet the White House china collection and lost it all in one hand.

#30 (R) Calvin Coolidge Served: 1923-1929 Achievements: Limited government

involvement in business Quote: “Don't expect to build up the weak

by pulling down the strong” Rank: 30th / 42

Nicknames:

Cautious Cal

Cool Cal

Silent Cal

The Sphinx of the Potomac

Presidents

Background Info on Coolidge

1. Born: July 4, 1872Plymouth, Vermont

2. Died January 5, 1933 (aged 60) Northampton, Massachusetts

3. Religion: Congregational church4. While governor of Massachusetts,

Coolidge was once punched in the eye by the mayor of Boston.

5. He was the only president sworn into office by his father, a justice of the peace and notary public.

6. Coolidge averaged nine hours of sleep a night and took afternoon naps of two to four hours.

7. His wife recounted that a young woman sitting next to Coolidge at a dinner party confided to him she had bet she could get at least three words of conversation from him. Without looking at her he quietly retorted, "You lose."

#31 (R) Herbert Hoover

Served: 1929-1933

Events: Stock Market Crash

Quote: “Blessed are the young for they shall inherit the national debt.”

Rank: Average

Nicknames:

The Great Engineer

The Great Humanitarian

The Chief

Presidents

Background Info on Hoover

1. Born: August 10, 1874 West Branch, Iowa

2. Died: October 20, 1964 (aged 90) New York, NY

3. Religion: Quaker4. Herbert Hoover and Thomas

Edison were named the two greatest engineers in U. S. History.

5. During their first three years in the White House, the Hoovers dined alone only three times, each time on their wedding anniversary.

6. Hoover was the first president to donate his salary to charity.

7. Hoover moved his family to China before becoming President, and he and his wife learned to speak Mandarin Chinese fluently. They would speak the language around the White House to prevent others from understanding them.

Served: 1933-1945

Achievements: 4 straight terms, New Deal, Lead WW II

Quote: “We have nothing to fear, but fear itself”

VP: John N. Garner (1933–41)

Henry A. Wallace (1941–45)

Harry S. Truman (1945)

Nicknames: FDRThat Man in the White HouseThe New Dealer

#32 (D) Franklin Delano Roosevelt

Presidents

Background Info on Roosevelt

1. Born: January 30, 1882, Hyde Park, NY

2. Died: April 12, 1945, Warm Springs, GA

3. Only President to serve four terms

4. 5th cousin of TR, who was his wife’s Uncle

5. First President to speak on television

6. Avid stamp collector 7. First female cabinet

member (Sec. of Labor Francis Perkins)

#33 (Dem) Harry S. TrumanServed: 1945-1953

Vice-President: Alben Barkley

Accomplishments: Truman Doctrine. Worked for social welfare and civil rights

Quote: “A pessimist is one who makes difficulties of his opportunities and an optimist is one who makes opportunities of his difficulties.”

Nicknames:

Give 'Em Hell Harry

High-Tax Harry

Mister Missouri

Presidents

Background Info on Truman

1. Born: May 8, 1884 in Lamar, Missouri

2. Died: December 26, 1972 (aged 88)Kansas City, Missouri

3. Only served three months as VP 4. The “S” does not stand for

anything 5. Before becoming the President,

Truman owned a haberdashery business (a men's outfitter), which went bankrupt in 1921.

6. Poor eyesight prevented him from participating in sports

7. An avid reader, he claimed he had read every book in the Independence Public Library.

8. He was a fine pianist

#34 (R) Dwight Eisenhower

Served: 1953-1961

Vice-President: Richard Nixon

Accomplishments: Enforced School

integration

Quote: “Don't join the book burners. Do

not think you are going to conceal thoughts

by concealing evidence that they ever

existed.”

Nicknames:

Ike

The Kansas Cyclone

Presidents

Background Info on Eisenhower

1. Born: October 14, 1890 Denison, Texas

2. Died: March 28, 1969 (aged 78)Walter Reed General HospitalWashington, D.C.

3. Supreme allied Commander of World War II

4. Dwight referred to himself as “deeply religious” but not affiliated with any “sect or organization”

5. Eisenhower loved golf.  He played more than 100 rounds of golf each year, was a member of Augusta National, and had a putting green installed on the White House lawn. 

#35 (D) John F. KennedyServed: 1961-1963

Vice-President: Lyndon Johnson

Accomplishments: Peace Corps, Cuban Missile Crisis

Quote: “Ask not what your country can to for you, ask what you can do for your country”

Nicknames:

Jack

JFK

The King of Camelot

Presidents

Background Info on Kennedy

1. Born: May 29, 1917, Brookline, MA2. Assassinated: November 22,

1963, Dallas, TX3. He was a huge James Bond fan.4. Kennedy received last rites three

times before his presidency. 5. He won a Pulitzer Prize for his first

book, “Why England Slept”6. There were rumors that he

considered dropping Lyndon Johnson from the 1964 ticket. 

7. JFK was the first president to dance with black women at an inaugural ball.

8. Kennedy bought up 1,200 high-grade Cuban cigars the day before he was to order a ban on Cuban imports.

#36 (D) Lyndon B. JohnsonServed: 1963-1969

Vice-President: Hubert Humphrey

Accomplishments: The Great Society

Quote: “A man without a vote is man without protection.”

Nicknames:

Landslide Lyndon

Light-Bulb Lyndon

LBJ

Presidents

Background Info on Johnson

1. Born: August 27, 1908, Stonewall, TX

2. Died: January 22, 1973, Stonewall, TX

3. President Johnson was famous among White House staffers for having no shame about asking people to follow him into the bathroom to continue conversations as he relieved himself.

4. LBJ was the youngest senate majority leader.

5. Johnson had loved the soda Fresca he had a fountain installed in the Oval Office

6. LBJ died one mile from the house he was born in.

7. He and his wife were married with a $2.50 wedding ring bought at Sears

#37 (R) Richard NixonV.P.: Spiro Agnew

Served: 1969-1974

Achievements: Opened relations with China, Watergate, Ended Vietnam

Quote: “I am not a Crook”

Nicknames:

Gloomy Gus

Iron Butt

The Mad Monk

Tricky Dick

Presidents

Background Info on Nixon

1. Born: January 9, 1913 Yorba Linda, CA

2. Died: April 22, 1994 (aged 81)New York City, NY

3. Nixon was an avid bowler4. Only President to resign

while in office5. Nixon believed his brother to

be involved in shady business dealings and sent the Secret Service to spy on him

6. He used his WWII poker winnings to fund his first congressional campaign

#38 (R) Gerald FordV.P.: Nelson Rockefeller

Served: 1974-1977

Accomplishments: Improved relations with China. Never truly elected to office

Quote: “A government big enough to give you everything you want is a government big enough to take from you everything you have.”

Nicknames:

Jerry

Mr. Nice Guy

Presidents

Background Info on Ford

1. Born: July 14, 1913, Omaha, NE2. Died: December 26,

2006, Rancho Mirage, CA3. Ford and his wife were at one

time paid models4. Only person to serve as

president and vice president of the United States who was never elected to either office

5. On November 13, 2006, he became the longest living U.S. president, at 93 years and 121 days, passing Ronald Reagan's record.

6. First Eagle Scout to be president

#39 (D) Jimmy CarterV.P.: Walter MondaleServed: 1977-1981Accomplishments: Organized

peace between Israel and Egypt. Sought to improve human rights worldwide.Quote: “America did not invent human rights. In a very real sense human rights invented

America.”Nicknames:

Jimmy

President Malaise

Presidents

Background Info on Carter

1. Born: October 1, 1924- (age 90), Plains, GA

2. Carter took over and ran his family's peanut farm

3. First President born in a hospital4. Navy Nuclear Engineer5. Champion of human rights, especially

in regard to the governments of South Korea, Iran, Argentina, South Africa, and Rhodesia (Zimbabwe).

6. Received the 2002 Nobel Peace Prize for his work "to find peaceful solutions to international conflicts, to advance democracy and human rights, and to promote economic and social development" through The Carter Center.

#40 (R) Ronald ReaganV.P.: George H. Bush

Served: 1981-1989

Accomplishments: Arms-limitation with USSR. Built US military up. Lowered Taxes and inflation. US debt massively increased during his administration. End of Iran hostage situation. Iran Contra

Quote: “Government's first duty is to protect the people, not run their lives.”

Nicknames:

Dutch

The Great Communicator

The Gipper

The Teflon President

Presidents

Background Info on Reagan

1. Born: February 6, 1911, Tampico, IL

2. Died: June 5, 2004, Bel-Air, Los Angeles, CA

3. Appointed the first female Supreme Court Justice - Sandra Day O'Connor

4. Nicknamed "The Gipper" due to his famous role as George Gipp in the film "Knute Rockne-All American."

5. Liked to feed the squirrels outside the Oval Office.

6. Loved jelly beans.

#41George H. W. BushV.P.: Dan Quayle

Served: 1989-1993

Achievements: Persian Gulf War.

Quote: “We don't want an America that is closed to the world. What we want is a world that is open to America.”

Nicknames:

Bush the Elder

Papa Bush

Poppy

Presidents

Background Info on Bush Sr.

1. Born: June 12, 1924 (age 90), Milton, MA

2. During World War II, he flew 58 combat missions for the Navy.

3. He is the second president to be the father of another U.S. president. (John Adams was the first.)

4. Former Director of the CIA

5. In high school, Bush was the captain of both the varsity baseball and soccer teams, and he played as a forward on the school's basketball team.

#42 (D) William ClintonV.P.: Al Gore

Served: 1992-2000

Achievements: Economic Boom, Admin plagued with scandals

Quote: “We cannot build our own future without helping others to build theirs.”

Nicknames:

Bubba

The Comeback Kid

The First Black President

Slick Willie

Teflon Bill

Presidents

Background Info on Clinton

1. Born: August 19, 1946 (age 68), Hope, AR

2. In 1996, President Clinton became the first Democrat to be elected to a second term since Franklin Delano Roosevelt in 1936

3. Clinton is the only president who was a Rhodes Scholar

4. Clinton was just 16 years old when he shook hands with President John F. Kennedy in 1963

5. Clinton has won 2 Grammys for Best Spoken Word Album in 2002 and 2005

#43 George W. BushServed: 2000-2008

Achievements:

Tax cuts, War on Terror, First of the stimulus spending

Quote:

“I can hear you. The rest of the world hears you. And the people who knocked these buildings down will hear all of us soon”

Nicknames:

Bush Jr.

Dubya

The Decider

Presidents

Background Info on W Bush

1. Born: July 6, 1946 (age 68), New Haven, CT

2. As a high school student, in addition to playing baseball, George W. Bush was the school's head cheerleader

3. George W. Bush had both the lowest and highest approval ratings in United States history. After the September 11, 2001 attacks, his rating was at 90 percent. His approval rating was at 25 percent in 2008

4. While at Yale, George was arrested for stealing a Christmas wreath from a hotel

5. President Bush owned the Texas Rangers from 1989 to 1994

#44 Barrack ObamaServed: 2008-

Accomplishments: First African American president. Health Care Reform. Death of bin Laden

Quote: “Yes we can”

“If the people cannot trust their government to do the job for which it exists - to protect them and to promote their common welfare - all else is lost.”

Nicknames:

Barry

No Drama Obama

Presidents

Background Info on Obama

1. Born: August 4, 1961 (age 53), Honolulu, HI

2. He collects Spider-Man and Conan the Barbarian comics

3. Obama spent some time in Indonesia when he was young. Aside from feasting on local delicacies like dog meat, snake meat and roasted grasshopper, he even housed a pet ape named Tata.

4. Won a Grammy in 2006 for the audio version of his memoir